So, do you really need a heavy amp to lug around these days?

BarryCreed

Just reading over some old threads about pods, and powerblocks and the likes, and it got me thinking...
If one isn't too fussed about getting the perfect tube sound and the likes, do you really need to invest in an amp or amp head at all?
Would it be better to get some small device that you could plug your pedals into, run that into a cab (say a 2x12), and hey presto....

easy to carry around...

I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to techy stuff like this. I've only ever thought of guitar > pedal > amp = make noise

novarock

I agree.. Things should be smaller and lighter. The Bass head I have weighs 8 kilo's and I carry it around in a schoolbag.. Eden WT-300. It has absolutely no problem powering an Ampeg 4x10 and it has a tube pre-amp.. Just goes to show you, when you compare it to a similar spec ampeg that weighs an absolute ton..

fish-head

The Orange Tiny Terror sounds right up your alley.

Sergio

You cant beat the tone from big powerfull mesa boogie when warmed up!

BarryCreed

must check out your suggestions there folks. How small can you go for a decent tone ..lol...

BarryCreed

anything that would give you the same volume or close enough to a 30 or 40 wt tube. that orange looks and sounds cool, but 15 watts could get lost in a live situation if it wasn't miked up.....?

Jelly 292

You cant beat the tone from big powerfull mesa boogie when warmed up!

My Studio .22+ kicks arse, eats stacks and I can carry it for ages with one arm.Best gigging combo I ever used. Life is so easy tone is great:cool:

fish-head

Volume and wattage don't have a linear relationship, for example I'm getting a new 20watt amp to replace my 40 watt Fender. You'd think it'd be only half as loud but it's actually only 2 decibels quieter.

A 15watt tube amp should be perfect for most gigs. Do you often play gigs where you aren't mic'ed up anyway?

Teh Russ

Bass stuff is getting lighter and lighter... with the likes of the MarkBass Little Mark II and the Ashdown Superfly range, along with new speaker cabs with neodymium speakers, you can get huge sound from very small, light packages.

Bass players always seem quicker to adapt to new technologies than guitarists though (active pickups, preamps, etc) - it seems this lightweight revolution hasn't quite extended to guitar yet. Until Marshall make a lightweight stack that sounds like a JCM900 plus 4x12", it's probably not going to happen.

BarryCreed

fish-head wrote: »

Volume and wattage don't have a linear relationship, for example I'm getting a new 20watt amp to replace my 40 watt Fender. You'd think it'd be only half as loud but it's actually only 2 decibels quieter.

A 15watt tube amp should be perfect for most gigs. Do you often play gigs where you aren't mic'ed up anyway?

most of the gigs I play wouldn't involve miking up the amp at all...

fish-head

What sort of music do you play and what sort of gigs do you play?

Thomas from Presence

Hey man,

As I posted elsewhere this week I'm a proud user of the powerblock-Pod set up.

I play two to three times a week and for most gigs I take an XLR line from the Pod or the Crate and put it straight into the PA or if the place is real small there's enough power out ot the rig to cover the show.

The advantages are:

• Full control of your sound out front
• Sounds designed at home sound the same at the gig
• Be loud as you want on stage. No mike on the amp means your not going to wreck your sound by being loud on stage, more room in the monitors for vocals
• Cut or expand the rig you bring as the venue size requires

The whole thing is a lot more portable and adaptable basically and sounds better.

BarryCreed

fish-head wrote: »

Volume and wattage don't have a linear relationship, for example I'm getting a new 20watt amp to replace my 40 watt Fender. You'd think it'd be only half as loud but it's actually only 2 decibels quieter.

A 15watt tube amp should be perfect for most gigs. Do you often play gigs where you aren't mic'ed up anyway?

well, i used to play rock covers and use a fender frontman 100 watt (not miked). When I was in an original band , I played a blues deville 60 wt, which I found too loud. A 40 watt would have done. what's more, any venues we played in the original band had everything miked up or lined out.

I'm in "hiatus" at the moment, but would like to get a new live sound together. I sold the blues deville, and was thinking of getting a 40 watt deville, or maybe a 30 watt head of some sort and a small cab. Hauling gear around is a b**ch, but part of it all I suppose, and a roadcase with wheels does help, but I've had the idea, "hmmm, how compact could I make a rig be, a decnt rig...."

Dord

novarock wrote: »

I agree.. Things should be smaller and lighter. The Bass head I have weighs 8 kilo's and I carry it around in a schoolbag.. Eden WT-300. It has absolutely no problem powering an Ampeg 4x10 and it has a tube pre-amp.. Just goes to show you, when you compare it to a similar spec ampeg that weighs an absolute ton..

Yeah, there has been a major progression to smaller and lighter amps lately. Less so with guitar amps although there has been a rise in the amount of people using mini tube guitar amps.

The bass amp I use is a GB Shuttle 6.0 which weighs 1.7kg!
Its small enough to fit in the front pocket of my gig bags.

The best part is that it puts out 600W, has a tube pre (which sounds awesome) and probably the best DI I've heard in an amp so far. :cool:

BuddhaJoe

This is what I currently use for playing bass in the house:



It is 14" high and has 2 x 5" speakers. It is also one of the best sounding bass amps I've ever heard.

Vim Fuego

The Tiny Terror is seriously loud. I can justifiably put it through a THD hotplate playing at home through my 1x12. Nice amp too, comes with a rather fetching 'handbag-style' carrying case. I'd say the tiny terror with a boost pedal and some volume control would cover all the basics for gigging.

That amp looks savage BuddhaJoe. What is it? (for the benefit of us non-bass folk?).

BuddhaJoe

Vim Fuego wrote: »

That amp looks savage BuddhaJoe. What is it? (for the benefit of us non-bass folk?).

Its a Phil Jones Briefcase

Zangetsu

My bass amp is 52kg, had to drag it up the stairs of McGruders last week, back still hurts lol... If it wasn't for the sound of it I'd chuck it in favor of something lighter...

kranog

Yer all wrong....I must have my 6 4x12 cabs behind me....I only use two of them....but for some reason....I don't sou....look as good withiout all 6!

Eoin Madsen

There are sounds you really can't get from a modeller (yet, anyway). But I'd happily take a Pod to DI with a small portable solid state stage for monitoring over something like a Fender Hotrod or a Marshall JCM2000. Your average modern valve amp has enough silicon in it to completely dispell the mystical valve magic anyway.

Thomas from Presence wrote: »

[*]Be loud as you want on stage. No mike on the amp means your not going to wreck your sound by being loud on stage, more room in the monitors for vocals.

You know this one makes no sense, Thomas. :pac: With an amp on stage, micing vs DIing won't change the necessity to put guitars through the monitors or not. Monitor headroom is less of a problem than the monitor having to compete with an amp on stage. If the amp is up too loud, you end up having to pull all the level from monitors and foh, mic or no mic. If an amp on stage is up too loud, nothing can stop the ****sandwich.

MattKid

I've been using my Axe FX Ultra for over a month now live and not missing an amp at all. I know what I'm hearing on stage (via the monitors) is the same great tone pumping out of the FOH.

Thomas from Presence

Eoin Madsen wrote: »

There are sounds you really can't get from a modeller (yet, anyway). But I'd happily take a Pod to DI with a small portable solid state stage for monitoring over something like a Fender Hotrod or a Marshall JCM2000. Your average modern valve amp has enough silicon in it to completely dispell the mystical valve magic anyway.



You know this one makes no sense, Thomas. :pac: With an amp on stage, micing vs DIing won't change the necessity to put guitars through the monitors or not. Monitor headroom is less of a problem than the monitor having to compete with an amp on stage. If the amp is up too loud, you end up having to pull all the level from monitors and foh, mic or no mic. If an amp on stage is up too loud, nothing can stop the ****sandwich.

Ah it surely does. In a live situation if you mike up an amp onstage you can't really have it terribly loud or you'll drive the desk pre-amp. Guitarists are frequently beside the singer so if the amp can be louder wit ha DI then the monitors on guitar side and centre can be left as vox while the drummer and bass player can get guitars in their wedge. It's very handy for small gigs as singers always complain about not being able to hear themselves anyway.

munkydanny

I have to say, it is getting a bit sickening having to lug a mesa dual recto head w/ flight case and a Marshall 4x12 around the city for practice/jams!

It's my only source of amplification and makes even casual jams with mates nearly impossible!

Those cabs should come with a warning; "Do not buy unless you have a car"

Still sounds awesome though.. :pac:

Jelly 292

you can't really have it terribly loud or you'll drive the desk pre-amp

Roll some gain off your mic input on the desk so. (I’m not condoning guitar players with silly stage vol tho)

POD's are handy bits of kit. I use one regularly. They have a totally different 'feel' than a real proper valve amp though. I have to adjust the way I mute and damp particularly. Its just not organic feeling.

If its a serous gig I will use my amp

Eoin Madsen

Thomas from Presence wrote: »

Ah it surely does. In a live situation if you mike up an amp onstage you can't really have it terribly loud or you'll drive the desk pre-amp.

That never happens. And there's a pad on most mixer channels even if the mic is unusually sensitive. A properly DI-ed signal should come in at a hotter level than a mic tbh. But in either case it makes no operational difference.

LegacyUser

I worked in a guitar shop for 2 years - where servicing Tube amps and doing small out of warranty jobs on transistor amps where everyday things for me

Biggest lesson I learned The more advertising and claims - the less quality your going to get


Ive been playing a Victoria 5112 for the last few years - its a tweed Fender champ replica - 5 watts Class A so you can use any 6V6 and almost any 6L6 without re-biasing that and a 1X12 speaker


1 volume - 2 inputs and thats it - no mid, bass nothing

combined with a good condenser mic beats any production amp i've ever played -

you get the best sound every time - so no problems with matching levels - They're handmade but cost less then an entry level 40W Marshall - All point to point wired with the best parts ever made


I dealt with a guy in Southern California who has a good relationship with the company

- cost €979 including amp, Weber AlNiCo blue speaker, Shipping -
would have cost €1400 from uk excluding new speaker

Next time your thinking of an amp have a look at Victoria - Fargen - Bad Cat -

Remember Marshall have stock holders to please! so money and endorsements come first not quality

They really are worth it